Nora’s next trilogy — A Coven of Three — starts this November with Birth of the Witch
Here’s the official description:
Niamh McShane was born a witch and died a witch in the same moment, at the tender age of thirteen. A victim of the madness that spread from Salem Town to her home on Piety Island, her only comfort in her last hours came from the weavers imprisoned with her, who saw within her light and power and gave her some of their own.
Over three hundred years later, on the same island, Neve McShane wakes with excitement on her thirteenth birthday and unwraps gifts from her aunts: sneakers, an iPhone, and a stunning antique pendant. Then she receives something else: a revelation that will change her life.
Astonished, Neve learns that her aunts’ abilities go beyond simple kitchen magic and the potions they sell in their shop. Their tales of past lives aren’t just whimsical fantasies. They are witches, and so is she. Their lives–past and present–are bound together by that pivotal day centuries ago. Now Neve has been tasked with stopping a growing darkness. To prepare for the dangerous enemy that awaits, Neve hones her skills and searches for clues to aid in her quest. And at night, she dreams of a young man from Ireland whose eyes met with hers for a fateful moment, centuries ago…
We’re just under 100 days from the release of The Final Target on May 26, so I thought it time to share the excerpt.
LBUK cover
First, here’s the official description:
He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.
Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…
An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.
Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden’s purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?
I had a chance to read The Final Target a while back and I think it’s going to be the perfect entry to summer reading (or a cozy winter read if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.
First, it’s gorgeous. Beautifully put together, quality all the way. The photographs of the food are stunning, and the ones of New York just wonderful. The recipes are smart, creative, and written so well I expect even non-cooks will enjoy trying them. And the snippet from the books Theresa includes with each recipe? Clever and fun.
Those of you who’ve ordered the cookbook from Turn The Page, requesting my signature on the forward, and received it, know exactly what I mean.
Those of you who’ve ordered and haven’t yet received it, let me explain.
TTP received 1,000 pre-orders of the cookbook. That’s a bunch of a lot of books!! Once they received the books, there’s a process. It goes like this.
I sign four tubs of books three times a week. This is the best I can do considering I work all day, get my workout in, deal with dinner. And have a life. So TTP’s hard-working staff processes the orders, loads up the tubs. And my heroic grandson Logan hauls them home to me. The cookbook tubs weigh over 30 pounds. Those books have weight! Plus I have books I’ve written to sign, too.
For the cookbook, because the high-quality paper is also slick, I can’t just sign and tub. I sign, put a sheet of paper in so the ink doesn’t smear, set the book aside to dry, do the next. Repeat. Fifteen cookbooks a tub as they’re weighty.
Then I take the paper out, tub, repeat, repeat. Haul up that 30-plus pounds, haul up another. Good thing I work out!!
Then Logan takes them back when the staff prepares them for shipping. And Logan hauls back another load to me.
This is a time-consuming process. We are more than halfway done, but shortly, I’ll need to start signing orders for The Seven Rings, and that must be my priority. We’re all going to do our best to get those cookbook orders out, and to get The Seven Rings orders processed signed and shipped. But there are also 1,000 orders of The Seven Rings.
We’re all so grateful to the readers, to the customers who patronize Turn The Page. I have to ask for patience and understanding on these two books. I’m human, and have one signing hand. None of us want to disappoint anyone, and we’ll do everything we can to get the books shipped in a timely fashion.
If yours is late, I’m sincerely sorry. Believe me, it’s not for lack of effort.
Turn The Page will get more of the cookbooks in stock after the first of the year, when we’ve all had a little breathing room.* Meanwhile, if you’re anticipating The In Death Cookbook and/or The Seven Rings, I promise you’re we’re working hard on it.
Nora
* Note from Laura — AND after Nora’s signed all the pre-orders for Stolen in Death.
It’s just over 6 weeks until The Seven Rings is on shelves (release is November 18) so I thought it was time to share the excerpt.
Here’s the official description of the final book in The Lost Brides Trilogy:
Long ago, Arthur Poole built a grand house overlooking the turbulent ocean, in a Maine village that bore his name. Today, Sonya MacTavish lives in that house―a manor that has been cursed for generations.
After Sonya, her boyfriend, Trey, and their friends are forced to hear, see―and feel―the suffering of the house’s many ghosts as their torment is reenacted by the evil presence, their bond only strengthens and their anger is renewed. Refusing to let her spirit be broken, Sonya searches each room for clues to her ancestors’ hidden story, putting the picture together, unearthing small treasures, and uncovering the moments of joy that existed among the sorrows. She’s determined to bring light to this haunted place―to fill it with people, with life and hope, once again.
But the enemy in the black dress continues to hover, to come at her in frightening forms. They may be illusions―but illusions can be powerful enough to wound and kill. She feeds on fear, and lies are her weapon. This dark-hearted witch wants to be mistress of Poole Manor, at any cost. And Sonya will need to fight a battle across two realms to finally take possession of the house on the clifftop―and of her own future…
I’m pleased to share the cover reveal video for Nora’s 2026 summer standalone — The Final Target.
What’s it about? Here’s the official description:
A young author becomes the object of a fan’s desire—and rage—in the gripping new thriller by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Nature.
He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.
Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…
An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.
Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden’s purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?
I had a chance to read The Final Target last week. I think you’re going to love it!
US/Canada pre-order links are up now. The international pre-order links will follow in early 2026.
Nora’s deep into the second In Death book for 2026, so I thought I’d share some updates. She’ll be back here soon enough with The Garden updates, a Kentucky Derby recap and, of course, a full Girls Spa Week post. Promise.
A late winter break
The first week in March saw the 3rd annual Do-Puzzles-Do-NOT-Play-Games Week at Nemacolin come to pass. In a fairly new tradition, Nora treated her business manager (and lifelong friend) JoAnne and me to a week of relaxation, treatments and business discussions at one of her favorite destinations – Nemacolin.
We all met at Nora’s house for the ride out. BW mentioned it was the first time Nora was leaving the house since their last visit to Nemacolin in January. I’ve been walking every day this winter so I had a good laugh at that one.
When we arrived after a very smooth drive west, the team at Nemacolin greeted Nora with the news that our first night would actually mark the 1001st night she’s stayed at the resort since 2003. (See? Told you it was a favorite!)
This was what greeted us when we walked into the Presidential Suite. Later in the week, Maggie Hardy, the owner of Nemacolin, and her son, PJ Magerko, sent a lovely gift and note to thank Nora for her loyalty to the resort.
It was the first time JoAnne and I visited the reimagined Chateau (last year we stayed at the Grand Lodge). We were both looking forward to seeing what was new and different. Lighter colors, wood floors, a bit more space added up to a stunning set of rooms.
There’s now a tv above the fireplace (the better to view games, I suppose). Nora and JoAnne used it for their daily workouts. And we all settled in to watch the Oscars on a cold Sunday night. The butlers supplied us with popcorn and a reconfiguration of the furniture so we could all see the screen. A fun night.
At one point during the week, Nora said all she really needs during her stays at Nemacolin are some treatments and a chance to paint. The delightful, talented Claire Hardy and her current co-Artist in Residence, Julia Lamothe, came up to the suite to lead us through an oil painting class.
While we waited for our mani-pedi session, I saw this piece of art in the salon. JoAnne liked it too and we sent a text to Claire that we wanted to try it. Nora went in a more colorful direction and I sent off another text to Claire with a photo of a vivid floral she’d brought along.
We dived in to explore colors and technique. Julia was a fun addition to Claire, bringing along some textured palette knives and suggestions on how to use them. Nora was pretty fine using a variety of paintbrushes.
Her final product was absolutely stunning!
JoAnne and I were pleased with our results as well.
The overall theme to the week was the puzzle. Remember, the first year we did that insane cupcake one? This year was a gorgeous, glowing mermaid surrounded by elements of the deep. And when I say deep, I mean black/purple/crimson colors. It was hard. Nora focused a great deal of her energy on the mermaid while JoAnne and I worked the perimeter.
OK, full disclosure, I popped in and out. Most of my evening time was spent reading The Seven Rings with a notebook in hand so I could create the final Clover’s Clever Playlist. (You’ll find Part 1 and Part 2 on Spotify.) The book was wonderful and Clover communicates through 100 plus songs!
But I digress.
Despite seven days of work, we didn’t finish the puzzle. Here she is in all her final-day confusion.
Nora packed her up in the puzzle bag and planned to let Kat have a go at it. Haven’t heard if that’s happened yet. But I’ll find out.
Departure day we woke to snow — that fortunately didn’t impeded our travel home. We’ve set the dates for the 2026 stay and that countdown has begun.
Video time
For me, there was work amid the fun. Early in the week, I posted the cover reveal for The Seven Rings. You can find all the ordering options at this link: Pre-order The Seven Rings. As always, you can order a signed copy from Turn the Page Bookstore.
And late in the week, I unveiled a new series of videos: In Death in Depth. When we were at Greenbrier last summer, Nora and I sat down for a video interview about the In Death series to celebrate Bonded in Death (the 60th full-length title).
We covered a lot of subjects from how the series evolved to specific characters. We’ll release a new video every Friday for the foreseeable future. Bookmark that page to check for new episodes.
We’re one week out from The Mirror release and so far, the top 2 questions are:
When will we get the last book? (The Seven Rings will be out November 2025)
And, is there going to be a playlist of Clover’s musical communications?
Why yes, there is. When I did my first read of The Mirror, I kept a notepad and pen at hand and wrote down every song as it happened. Sometimes, I went overboard and noted down music OTHER characters played, but my friend Marissa at St. Martin’s Press kept me in line.
Nora told me that one of the most time consuming parts of The Mirror’s first draft (besides writing the draft) was finding the right song for each moment. I think you’ll that work really paid off.
We’re 67 days away from November 19 when The Mirror — book 2 in The Lost Brides Trilogy — hits shelves and e-readers.
I know there were questions at the end of Inheritance. I can assure you that many of them are answered in The Mirror. For everyone who wants a peek at some of those answers, I’m happy to share the excerpt today.
St. Martin’s Press cover (US/Canada)
First, here’s the official description:
When Sonya MacTavish inherits the huge Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine, she has no idea that the house is haunted. The footsteps she hears at night, the doors slamming, the music playing, are not figments of her imagination. In her dreams she sees glimpses of the past. In the present she finds portraits of brides. And when she has visions of an antique mirror, she is drawn to it, sensing it holds dark family secrets.
Then one night the mirror appears and Sonya glides through this looking glass, into the past—and sees a bride murdered on her wedding day, the circle of gold torn from her finger. It is a scene that will play out again and again—a centuries-old curse that must be broken—and a puzzle she must solve if there is any hope of breaking the curse.
Going to throw my Cranky Publicist hat on for a sec: we have to remember to trust Nora to tell the story her way. Because it always ends up being a really fun ride.
Enjoy!
Laura
A quick PS: if you subscribe to Nora’s News, you received this excerpt in your inbox two weeks ago. So if you want to be ahead of the curve, make sure you visit the Nora Roberts or JD Robb websites, scroll to the bottom and subscribe to Nora’s News.
